Downtown
C-Print Color Photography on 250 gr Fuji Maxima Color papier
This series of photographs reflects on the role of the artificial representation of urban spaces in socio-political contexts. The artist took these photographs in his hometown of Havana, Cuba, as part of a series documenting and questioning the aesthetics of poverty and urban population in the Cuban socialist system.
The images were taken in a tourist area displaying a model of part of Havana’s old town, Habana Vieja, with Spanish colonial urban design.
The model also highlights important buildings influenced by North America during the post-colonial period between 1900 and 1959. Although the model only serves to situate and guide tourists within the restored colonial area, the artist intentionally photographed buildings representing the dwellings of the population.
The camera’s focused lens allows us to see the specific details of the handmade, unfinished workmanship of this model. It is interesting how this artificiality and craftsmanship capture and translate the age and loneliness of a seemingly empty, frozen city.
